Reviewed by Robert Chambers (7/1998)

In 1965 the Panhwars bought 108 acres near Khesano Taluka (Sindh) and
developed the property into a fruit farm, originally with mangos and
bananas. M.H. Panhwar has a master's degree in agricultural engineering,
Farzana Panhwar's master's degree is in biochemistry.

At first, they relied on the state extension service for guidance.
Mostly this advice was to clear cultivate between the trees and use
commercial fertilizer and pesticides as needed.

Actually extension literature in Pakistan was not specifically geared
for fruit production. So little by little over the years, the Panhwars
tried out various other approaches featuring mulching, composting,
mowing, use of manure, etc. and wound up demonstrating that a largely
organic farming system gave them the best results.

This book is in narrative form and describes their various experiments
and the results. The last chapter gives their prescription for a code of
practice for sustainable agriculture. It is largely organic, although
they do not hesitate to use urea to speed up the composting process as
well as a once-a-year pesticide fix if they can't live without it that
year.

Reading this recital of their successes and failures reminded me of the
classic 1943 book by Albert Howard on farming in India which played an
important role in inspiring the organic farming movement. Conditions in
Pakistan are, of course, somewhat different from those in the US.
Manpower is considerably less expensive and many of the methods require
substantial amounts. Manure, even human feces, are readily available.
Water is very cheap so they use flood irrigation.

The Panhwars did work out some very advantageous ways of getting and
using mulch. At the same time they make use of modern diagnostic
techniques and keep pH, NPK percentages, and trace mineral requirements
in mind in their work. The end result is a farm from which they get
considerably higher yields of quality fruit than the average in the
region.